Antoine Mendy Suffers Serious Knee Injury in Nice's Draw

Nice’s 1-1 draw with Le Mans has come at a far higher price than two dropped points. The club have lost defender Antoine Mendy for several months after the Senegal international tore the cruciate ligament in his left knee.

The verdict came on Sunday, when scans confirmed the extent of the damage. Medical staff had feared the worst the moment he went down. The results matched those fears.

Mendy had only just entered the fray, sent on with around 15 minutes to play at the Allianz Riviera. His night ended abruptly. After falling awkwardly on his left leg, he stayed down, clutching his knee, his face twisted in pain.

He tried to get up. He couldn’t.

The defender was forced off before the final whistle, leaving the pitch in obvious distress and heading straight for further assessment. The draw already felt disappointing. The injury turned it into a grim evening.

Tests have now confirmed a torn cruciate ligament, an injury that will sideline him for a long spell. Nice know they will have to cope without him for months, with the exact length of his absence dependent on how his treatment and rehabilitation unfold.

For a club chasing stability and momentum, this is more than a setback. It’s a long, anxious wait to see when – and how – Antoine Mendy comes back.